Fingerpicking

[chris979899]

I've played guitar since I was younger. I learnt by leaning lots and lots of songs, then trying to learn some blues and rock and eventually theory such as keys, scales, modes etc. I was in a band for a while which helped. I have always wanted to learn how to fingerpick because I love folk, but sort of struggle to know how to practice the technique. Any links to apps, videos or advice would be great.

[Rajiv]

Fingerpicking is challenging, but unlocks a whole different way of playing the guitar. A couple years ago, I was bit by the same bug. I wanted to learn how to play "Murder in the City" by the Avett Brothers.

I found a course on TrueFire -- Muriel Anderson's 1-2-3 Fingerstyle. That helped a lot, though I admit that progress was very very slow. I would watch a lesson, then work on it for a month before going to the next one. It's an older course, and TrueFire has constant sales, so you should be able to find it cheap, maybe even as little as $5. I recommend it. That and a metronome.

[chris979899]

Ok I'll look into it thank you! I'm trying to learn Watching Thus The Heron Is All Pool by Bibio. I wouldn't say it's the hardest song to learn it's quite easy, it's just fast. I am trying to fingerpick with it. My main struggle is that as the song goes on I get over excited and start to play each string with the same finger again.

[Hermetech Mastering]

There's loads of good stuff on YT, just search it out. For me it was a combination of that, (tutorials on specific songs I wanted to learn), and Mark Hanson's book, The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking:

https://markhansonguitar.com/product/th ... ine-audio/

I've taken it slow and made sure I can do everything fairly smoothly at tempo, before going on to the next section. I'm coming to the end now and it's taken me two years, but I have improved a lot. I hear lots of other good reports about this book, and highly recommend it as a "gateway".

Justin's "Folk Fingerstyle" module is free and also worth a look:

https://www.justinguitar.com/modules/folk-fingerstyle

It's really like anything else on guitar where you want to improve, start really slowly, play with a metronome, gradually increase the tempo over weeks or months, and you'll find you can do it. When I was learning the early patterns, I'd sit there in front of the TV doing one pattern on one chord for an hour or more, just to get it into my muscle memory. I've gone from nothing to being able to play 'Dust In The Wind' (still a little slower than the original) in about three years. I'm almost exclusively fingerstyle now, absolutely love it, main reason I just bought a Lowden!

Good luck with it!

[EDIT] Just wanted to add for the OP, let the speed come naturally, don't try and force it. Better to keep slow and accurate, and the speed will come by itself, than keep rushing, as then all you'll be doing is practising your mistakes, which is not good! Slow and steady always wins the race with guitar.

[Wes Kilbride]

I'm a finger-picker. The key was learning to get my thumb moving independently of my other fingers, rather than just arpeggiating up and down the strings. My breakthrough song to learn how to do this was a simple number called "Freight Train". It could be done mechanically, at first, step by step, thumb hopping from the E to the A string, and gradually I could feel the Great Divide. Maybe this is helpful.

[The Noodlist]

My breakthrough song to learn how to do this was a simple number called "Freight Train". It could be done mechanically, at first, step by step, thumb hopping from the E to the A string, and gradually I could feel the Great Divide. Maybe this is helpful.

https://www.anyonecanplayguitar.co.uk/freight-train/

---

https://youtu.be/Xm2ODiNUhac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUhV_nLTamA

[resynthesis]

I think it sort of depends on what your goals are stylistically. Stefan Grossman and Fred Sokolow have been around for yonks and seem to specialise in American styles but this not may fit well with some of the English folk styles. Equally, if you want to play classical style it's another thing entirely.

I can't remember who said (but it was somebody well known) his most important exercise was practicing tremolo technique on a single string. This is quite an advanced lesson but it's got some good exercises as your technique improves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyYen8V26To

BTW "Dust in the wind" makes it quite circular as (apparently) Kenny Livgren based it on one of his warmup exercises.

[uOpt]

Since you can read music, why not try to play some classical pieces?

[lfm]

I have two which originally heard Stefan Grossman do
"oh papa" - look up the tab, very straight forward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0SsYgMIV94
"shake that thing" - is another where tab is available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06k657rggVs
Both in standard tuning.

[bharris22]

+1000 for Stefan Grossman - his videos at www.guitarvideos.com are a great place to start. I think this is the one I started with (on VHS ): https://www.guitarvideos.com/stefan-gro ... y=33776472.

Highly recommended.

[lfm]

Classic guitar and get right hand going this is good introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYDJkvIHP7w

But works on electric too....

[Mister Natural]

my teacher talked about this book of right-hand exercises - see if I can find his note on this here . . .
Steve said it was the best book
https://www.elderly.com/products/mauro- ... evelopment
best of luck

[The Noodlist]

my teacher talked about this book of right-hand exercises - see if I can find his note on this here . . .
Steve said it was the best book
https://www.elderly.com/products/mauro- ... evelopment
best of luck

A free transcription.
https://www.classicalguitarshed.com/sm- ... ight-hand/
https://www.classicalguitarshed.com/wp- ... t-hand.pdf
Free sheet music.
https://www.classicalguitarshed.com/fre ... eet-music/

[Mister Natural]

THX Noodle !